Could the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) Read and Write?

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Question

My questions regard Prophet Mohammed's (pbuh) level of
education.

All my life I have been taught that he could not read
(analphabetic), nor write... Later, I found some Muslims claiming that he could
sign his name...Even later, I found others claiming that he can do both, read
and write. Some claimed that since he dealt with numbers (being a merchant) and
numbers were written (numerals were not discovered by Muslims during his life)
then he must've known how to read and write. Here is one brother's explanation
regarding the Prophet's ability to do both (read and write):

"Traditional translations mistranslate the word "ummy"
as illiterate. Muslim scholars found the claim of illiteracy of Muhammad
convenient for the argument of divinity of the Qur'an. They used this false
claim for a cheap argument by saying that an illiterate man cannot author such
a book. In "19 Questions For Muslim Scholars" I demonstrate that the real
meaning of this word is "gentile" and I provide numerous reasons showing that
Prophet Muhammad was a LITERATE man."

I don't know this man, nor have I read his book. Although,
he claims to have helped the "Nineteener", Rashad Khalifa (which minimizes his
crediblity in my eyes) in translating the Glorious Qur'an. My belief is that
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was unlettered (not able to read or write.) I believe
that he couldn't even sign his name because there is no evidence of such a
thing. Besides, Arabs didn't keep records as is done today, and any
transactions were bound to on the strength of men giving their words/oath. Of
course there were some written documents but from my understanding these were
minimal in number. I also heard that there is an incident when the Prophet
himself scratched a line that glorified him, within a document...

These are my humble opinions. Please enlighten me on these
questions:

Was the Prophet unlettered: "Not adept at
reading and writing; deficient in the knowledge that can be acquired from
books. b. Illiterate" (American Heritage Dictionary)

Did he use to sign his name? What is the
implication if he signed his own name even if it is only a few letters?

Is the person I quoted above accurate in
his remark as to the translation of "ummy"?

Anything you can add would be of great help. Your answers
will be greatly appreciated.

Jazak Allah Khair,

Ron H.

Question from United States of America

Answer

The opinion as to whether or not the Prophet (pbuh) was
illiterate should be formed in the light of the information provided in the
books of history and Seerah. As
for the meaning of the Arabic word "Ummi"
is concerned, it is, in fact, 'unlettered', but it may not necessarily imply
'illiterate'. On the contrary, it seems that the word was used for the Banu
Ishmael in a comparatively limited connotation of those who do not have
knowledge of God's Laws and Revelations. It further seems that the word was
initially used for the Banu Ishmael by the Israelites as a derogatory term,
which, with the passage of time, came to be known as an appellation for the
Ishmaelites.

As for my opinion regarding whether or not the Prophet (pbuh)
was illiterate or not, I have not yet come across any reliable source of
information which would confirm that the Prophet (pbuh) could read and write.
There are, however, scattered references in history, which directly or
indirectly indicate that he was not.

It is generally known that the Prophet (pbuh) used his ring
as a stamp, on which the words "Muhammad, Messenger of Allah" were engraved, for
signing documents. I cannot recall any narrative in which the Prophet (pbuh) is
reported to have written or signed his name.

To summarize, the word
"ummi" for the Ishmaelites does not necessitate that the Banu
Ishmael, including the Prophet (pbuh), were all completely illiterate. Thus, the
Qur'an does not, necessarily say that the Prophet (pbuh), in particular, and the
Ishmaelites, in general were completely illiterate. The referred question should
be answered in the light of the information provided in history.